There's a very good reason why Arkansas Baptist College's football team has been immersed in intrigue and mystery since fall workouts opened earlier this month, and Coach Richard Wilson has a pretty good idea why.
The Buffaloes are in year two of their journey as an NAIA program after spending a number of seasons in the junior college ranks. The team's initial introduction into the new division didn't go quite as planned in 2021, with many of their outcomes resulting in wide-margin losses.
But a new season brings about new opportunities, and Arkansas Baptist fully intends to take advantage of those, starting with its opener Saturday at Bethel (Tenn.). That alone yields a certain level of fascination for a program aiming to make a name for itself as a full-fledged four-year school.
Unfortunately for Wilson, he's not sure how things will unfold at the start for his rising group following their 2-8 season last year.
Therein lies the enigma.
"We've actually been looking OK in camp," he said. "The thing is that we just don't know where we're really at right now because we're playing against teams who have freshman, sophomore, junior and senior classes.
"For us right now, all we have is a sophomore and freshman class. But we know we've got good talent. We've just got to see if it's comparable to the teams we're playing because they are going to be a little bit older than us."
The Buffaloes are hoping to prove that age really is just a number as they confront a schedule that figures to be just a daunting as it was a year ago.
Arkansas Baptist will play three teams -- Southwestern Assemblies of God, Langston, Kansas Wesleyan -- that outscored it by a combined 216-18 when they met last season. The flip side to that is the Buffaloes will have four consecutive home games at Quigley-Cox Stadium in Little Rock, including a date with Langston on Sept. 24, following their trip to Bethel. That stretch that could potentially serve as a springboard to a successful run.
"The kids have worked hard," Wilson said. "There's not a doubt in my mind that we're a better football team than we were last year because we were basically all freshmen then. We're a year older now, and they've got a couple of storm troopers with them, which is more than what they had last year."
Wilson pointed out that he's got a couple of players who he's certain will turn heads. Wide receivers Justin Hughes and Kristian Gammage had impressive outings throughout last season, according to their coach, and both are being looked upon to shoulder an even broader load.
"[Justin] was probably one of the premier players in the entire league," Wilson said of his 6-3, 195-pounder. "He's a guy who never played wide receiver until he got here because he was always a defensive end. He's still learning, but he's just one of those that's built to be a wide receiver, and he gets better every day.
"And Kris was one of the most dynamic small threats in the whole league."
Gammage, a 5-9, 175-pounder from Charleston, Miss., saw a lot of time at quarterback last season, but Wilson made it a priority to go out and recruit for that position in order to better utilize his speedster.
Wilson also mentioned that his defense needed to improve if they're going to compete against some of the more established teams in NAIA.
"Another kid we need to come up big for us is Amarion Watson," he said. "He played out at Sylvan Hills, and he was a really solid performer for us as a freshman. We need him and his leadership to come through.
"One other guy, Kamryn Dickerson, has been slowed by a back and shoulder during fall camp, but he gives us that big inside linebacker threat that we've never had. We need those guys to come up huge."
A win Saturday would also be huge for the Buffaloes, who are trying to carve out a place for themselves in a football association that's routinely tough to navigate through. A win in Tennessee would go a long way is starting that etching process.
"We need to be solid and not turn the ball over," Wilson said. "If we can find a way to not beat ourselves, we can find ourselves right in the middle of that game."
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NoneArkansas Baptist at a glance
COACH Richard Wilson
2021 RECORD 2-8
KEY RETURNERS WR Kristian Gammage (5-9, 175), LB Kamryn Dickerson (6-3, 230), WR Justin Hughes (6-3, 195), DB Amarion Watson (6-1, 177)
NOTEWORTHY Smith is entering his 15th season as coach. … Arkansas Baptist was approved to move from the National Junior College Athletics Association to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics in the spring of 2021. … The Buffaloes will be the second team from Arkansas to face North American (Texas) University this season. The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff will also play the Stallions on Sept. 10.
SCHEDULE
DATEOPPONENT
Saturdayat Bethel (Tenn.) Univ.
Sept. 3Texas College
Sept. 10RPA (Texas) College
Sept. 17Gordon (Okla.) Academy
Sept. 24Langston (Okla.)
Oct. 1at SW Assemblies of God (Texas)
Oct. 8at Louisiana Christian
Oct. 15Georgia Knights
Oct. 22at N. American (Texas) Univ.
Oct. 29Avila (Mo.) University
Nov. 5at Kansas Wesleyan